Flights of Fancy

On View: April 21st - May 24th

Opening Reception: Friday, April 24th, 6-9pm with Rory Dale

Artist Talk: Saturday, May 16th at 4pm

The Hillsborough Gallery of Arts presents Flights of Fancy, work by Garry Childs, Sally Terrell, and Pat Merriman, in the gallery April 21st through May 24th. An opening reception for Flights of Fancy will be held during Hillsborough’s Last Friday Artwalk, on April 24th from 6-9pm. Local singer/songwriter Rory Dale will play music on the patio during the reception. An Artist Talk by Garry Childs and Sally Terrell will be held in the Gallery on Saturday, May 16th at 4 p.m.

“When I looked up the definition and synonyms for flights of fancy”, says scratchboard artist Sally Terrell, “I found several expressions that fit in my wheelhouse –daydreams, fantasies, whimsical notions, ideas that are not terribly realistic but show imagination.” Going with the literal version of flights, Terrell’s work in the show includes birds and other creatures that fly, though she represents some of her flying creatures in quirky, whimsical situations-like a hummingbird blowing bubbles. She’s even wandered into the land of faeries and fireflies. The variety, imagination and creativity of Terrell’s work is inspiring.

All of Garry Child’s work is formed on a potter’s wheel from terracotta clay. He encourages people to touch and handle his work. “Pots are made with hands and they should be ‘looked at’ with hands,” says Childs. “Texture, particularly the contrast between the smooth glazed areas and the rougher, hard edges of the carved surface is very important.” Childs finds something magical about the process of making pottery “When I am working at the wheel there is a moment when a shape almost flows out of the wet clay in my hands. Sometimes that moment is all I need to be satisfied with a particular piece. Hopefully it will look good after it comes out of the kiln, and other people will like it and maybe see and feel a little of that same Magic.”

Pat Merriman’s part in the show is a retrospective of her work over a number of years. Merriman, one of the founders of this gallery, died in February before she had readied her work, so representative pieces of her art were chosen for the show. Merriman traveled widely and some of her paintings speak to the places she visited, some to her home state of North Carolina and some to her interest in history and culture. She loved to experiment with new techniques and the diversity of work in this show expresses that variety. In one of her final artist statements she declared “Experimentation helps encourage my creativity, freedom to try new things,and broadens my perspective as an artist and creator. I believe it breathes life and intrigue into my artwork.”

About the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts:

The Hillsborough Gallery of Arts is owned and operated by 21 local artists and represents these established artists exhibiting contemporary fine art and fine craft. The Gallery's offerings include oil, acrylic, and watercolor painting, sculpture, photography, pottery, jewelry, glass, scratchboard, turned wood, and handcrafted furniture.